Wrench



J. FELLA WRENCH sept. 2z, 1942.`

Filed Aug; 5,- 1941 Patented Sept. 22, '1942 WRENCH John Fella, Detroit, Mich., assignor of yone-half to Ross Facione, Detroit, Mich.

Application August 5, 1941, Serial No. 405,501

1 Claim.

This invention relates to adjustable wrenches, more particularly of the ratchet adjustable type wherein the jaws are set at various desired op-enings by a ratchet and pawl arrangement, vmany types of which have been in the past offered to the public.

Generally speaking, such arrangements while possessing the advantages resulting from the quick ratchet adjustment of the jaws have, nevertheless, fallen short of such ready and speedy manipulation as is provided for in the devices forming the subject matter of this present application; and, moreover, have required the use of the two hands for the operation of the wrench under circumstances where the present invention provides for such operation with one hand only, thereby leaving the other hand of the Worker free to manipulate the work itself or to perform su-ch other function as may be necessary r desirab-le.

A further object of the invention is to provide a form of ratchet adjustable wrench in which, if desired, a much stronger pawl engagement or spring pressure may be availed of than is permitted by types of finger operated pawls heretofore proposed or which have been employed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wrench having two separate handles or grips, one of which is connected to one of the jaws of the wrench for the purpose of leverage only, and the other of which is mounted on or carried by the other jaw of the wrench and serves as an operating handle or grip, and is utilized mainly, although not necessarily exclusively, in effecting the adjusting of the wrench jaws.

Still further objects or advantages, subsidiary to the aforesaid objects or resulting from the construction or operation of the invention as it may be carried into effect, will become apparent as the said invention is hereinafter further disclosed.

In carrying the said invention into effect, I may provide an adjustable wrench, one jaw of which is mounted on an extended shaft or lever terminating in the usual handle, with a second hand grip carrying the other jaw of the wrench and slidable over the said shaft or lever, the said second hand grip being provided with a pawl normally engaging complementary serrations or teeth of the said shaft or lever and positioned to be operated by the squeezing pressure of the hand encircling the said hand grip. All of which is more particularly described and ascertained hereinafter, by way of example, having reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is -an elevation of a pipe wrench embodying the features of the said invention;

Figure 2 is a detail longitudinal sectional view through the sliding hand grip of the said pipe wrench; and

Figure 3 is an elevation of a nut or monkey wrench embodying the features of the said invention.

Similar characters of reference 'indicate similar parts in the several ffigures of the drawing.

'Referring rst to Figures 1 land `2, the inner jaw Ill of the wrench is shown as being provided with a `shaft or lever II terminating in the usual handle Il2, this shaft having one edge serrated at I-3 throughout a part of its-length.

Slidably mounted Aen this shaft `-is a hand grip I4 the upper part of which carries the head or outer jaw member I5 of the pipe wrench, this member I5 being pivoted at I6 4on the said hand grip and having an extension I'I projecting over the `back of the hand grip. This extension is subjected to the pressure of a compression spring I8 which serves to control the slight Swinging movement common to the outer jaws of pipe wrenches. This movement being Well known is not a feature of the present invention.

The hand grip I4 is also provided with a pawl I9 pivoted at 20 and having a trigger or pressure member 2I, influenced by the compression spring 22 to urge the pawl into engagement with the serrations I3 of the shaft I I, as clearly shown in Figure 2. This pawl I9, and its pressure member 2|, are so situated on the hand grip I4 that, when the said grip I4 is grasped by the hand as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, the heel of the hand is brought into engagement with the pressure member 2I of the pawl I9, whereby the simple squeezing or tight vclosing of the hand about the grip member will result in the disengagement of the pawl from the serrated shaft I I thereby freeing the said shaft for sliding movement through the said hand grip I 4.

When so freed, the jaw I0 may be dropped to its Wide opening position if the wrench be held in the position shown in Figure 1, Without further manipulation or the use of the other hand of the operator; and likewise the said jaw I6 may be dropped into a closed position against the jaw I5, or against any object situated between the jaws, by simply reversing the position of the wrench from that shown in Figure 1 so that the jaw member IIi will face downwardly. Thus it will be apparent that without calling for the use of other than the one hand grasping the grip member I4, the wrench may be held in the position shown in Figure l and opened to its full extent by merely tightening the grip on the member I4, and then by more or less reversing the position of the wrench it may be applied to the work and the jaw member I0 dropped into engagement with the said work. The hand may be then released from the grip I4, automatically locking the jaws in such engagement with the work, following which the same hand may be transferred to the handle I2 to provide the additional leverage for turning the pipe or work as may be required.

Where the work is light, and no great amount of leverage is required, the turning operation may be effected while the hand still grasps the grip member I4, pressure on the member 2| of the pawl being simply relieved to a sufficient extent to permit the said pawl to engage the serrations I3 of the shaft l l.

Obviously, with such an arrangement, an extremely robust pawl and spring construction may be employed, as the pawl is not operated by mere finger pressure but by as powerful a grip as it may be deemed convenient to use in the circumstances.

'Ihe arrangement shown in Figure 3 may be similarly operated with the one hand, the ratchet disposition being in this case reversed. As a matter of design, the pawl is disposed to be grasped by the embracing fingers of the hand insteadrof the heelrof the hand. In this modification, 23 is the jaw mounted on the end of the sliding shaft 24, which shaft is. provided with the reversed serrations 25 and passes through the hand grip 26. 21 is the other jaw of the wrench carried by the said hand grip 26, and 28 is the pawl pivoted on the hand grip at 29 and subjected to the pressure of the compression spring 30. 3l

is simply a stop limiting the opening movement of the jaws.

This invention may be developed within the scope of the following claims without departing from the essential features of the said invention,

and it is therefore desired that the specification and drawing be read as being merely illustrative of a preferred design and not in a strictly limiting sense.

What I claim is:

In a wrench of the kind described, a shank having ratchet teeth, a sleeve forming a hand hold slidably fitting said shank, a jaw formed on the shank, spaced different length pivot extensions projecting laterally from the sleeve on the same side with each other, a swinging jaw pivoted to the longer extension to eiect a hand grip located directly between both extensions for thumb coverage on hand grasping of the sleeve, a ratchet pawl pivoted to the shorter extension-in proximity to the hand grip for palm engagement thereof simultaneously with the thumb coverage of the hand grip, and confined means for tensioning the grip and pawl, respectively.

JOHN FELLA. 

